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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh On Kentucky’s Incoming Roster: “I see 14-15 guys that can play”

Otega Oweh spoke on the Wildcats’ newfound depth following his much anticipated, senior year return to the program.

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Otega Oweh remarks on Kentucky's depth.
Grace Smith | UK Athletics

While last year’s team arguably brought life back into Rupp Arena for the first time in a long time, it wasn’t a flawless experience for Mark Pope’s first team.

Among the occasional ailment and plague, easily the most crippling were the injury issues that seemed to constantly plague the team. As a result, Pope was forced to dig to a level of depth on the roster that simply wasn’t quite ready for the roles they were forced to play.

Undoubtedly, every player did the best with the situation they were given — but when you find yourself three/four players down at once, it’s hard for any squad to turn things around.

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But that doesn’t mean you can’t try and prevent it. According to Otega Oweh, Kentucky has done exactly that ahead of the 2025-26 season, fostering an extensive roster of talent from top to bottom.

Deeper than the Holler

During a recent stint of media availability following his official return to Lexington, Oweh said of the roster, “I see 14-15 guys that can play.”

“We have multiple guys at each position,” he continued. “I feel like those are the teams that do best in March and throughout the whole season. We have a lot of talent.”

“It’s gonna be really fun.”

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With varying talent on every level and expectations slowly rising, this Kentucky team appears to be equipped for everything last season’s unit managed and more. Mark Pope’s complete roster overhaul – comprised of returnees, transfers from competitive schools, and freshman commitments – is built for March.

Transfer players like Denzel Aberdeen, who just won a championship at Florida, and Mohamed Dioubate, who played a crucial role in numerous March Madness runs with Alabama, lend themselves perfectly to the cause. Mixing veterans, those two and Oweh included, in with the team’s wide breadth of younger talent under the roof of one banner-based aspiration should, on the surface, create the perfect storm.

“Fun” looks to be a massive understatement.

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Football

Randall Cobb and Tayshaun Prince Named to Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame

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Associated Press

On Tuesday, the Louisville Sports Commission announced that Kentucky Wildcat legends Randall Cobb and Tayshaun Prince were elected to the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025.

The KSHOF recognizes individuals that have made significant impacts in sports for the state of Kentucky. Other members of the class of 2025 include Louisville native, former University of Louisville gymnast, gymnastics coach, and longtime international gymnastics judge Carole Liedtke and highly accomplished female trap shooter Nora Martin Ross from Paris.

A selection committee made up of 15 sports media professionals from around Kentucky voted on the 2025 class. The KSHOF Selection Committee votes were independently tabulated by regional accounting firm Dean Dorton, one of Kentucky’s largest accounting and advisory firms, with offices in Louisville, Lexington and Raleigh, N.C.

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Cobb, Prince and the remaining 2025 KSHOF class members and their families will be honored on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

Randall Cobb

Coming out of high school in 2008, Cobb was a three-star quarterback recruit from Alcoa, Tennessee, just south of Knoxville. Cobb was only given three offers out of high school; he chose Kentucky over nearby schools Tennessee and Middle Tennessee.

In Lexington, Cobb became the ultimate utility player due to his extreme athleticism. He is remembered as one of the most versatile athletes to ever come through Kentucky.

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As a Wildcat, Cobb played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and kick returner during his three years at Kentucky, which allowed him to excel in the Wildcat formation. In 2011, the multipurpose star was named first-team All-America. 

Additionally, Cobb was named first-team All-SEC as a sophomore and junior. In 2010, Cobb had an SEC record-setting season where he gained 2,396 all-purpose yards.

Cobb claimed the all-time Kentucky leader honor for career touchdowns with 37 until Benny Snell Jr. broke the record at the end of the decade.

The Green Bay Packers selected Cobb with the 64th pick of the second round in the 2011 NFL Draft to play wide receiver and special teams.

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As a member of the Packers, Cobb would have a successful career in Green Bay, forming a tight bond on and off the field with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his first career game against the New Orleans Saints, Cobb caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers and returned a kickoff for a 108-yard touchdown.

Cobb spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career in Green Bay, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, after achieving career highs with 91 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

In 2019, the former Wildcat joined the Dallas Cowboys to catch passes from Dak Prescott for one season. A year later, Cobb inked a deal with the Houston Texans as a target for Deshaun Watson, where he played a lone season there.

Prior to the 2021 season, Rodgers requested for the Packers to reunite the Cobb-Rodgers duo. So, Green Bay traded for Cobb ahead of the season. 

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After two reasons back in the green and gold, Cobb followed Rodgers in leaving Green Bay for the New York Jets. The 2023 season would be the last of Cobb’s career, as Rodgers missed the entire season with a torn achilles, he caught one touchdown that season against his former squad, the Houston Texans.

Cobb joined the SEC Network as a studio analyst in the summer of 2024, covering football around the SEC.

Tayshaun Prince

Hailing from Compton, California, Prince played four seasons at Kentucky from 1998 to 2001.

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During his four-year tenure in blue, Prince averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds, as the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite 8 once in the NCAA Tournament each year under head coach Tubby Smith. Prince’s junior season earned him the 2000-2001 SEC Player of the Year with 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

In 2001, Prince led the Wildcats to an SEC Championship, beating the Ole Miss Rebels 77-55 to win the championship. Prince was awarded SEC Tournament MVP after putting up 26 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

Earlier in that season Prince had one of the most memorable moments in Kentucky history by nailing five consecutive 3-pointers to begin a game against North Carolina. The Wildcats went on to win 79-59 in front of Rupp Arena thanks to a 31-point, 11-rebound performance from Prince.

In his final two seasons at Kentucky, Prince was elected to First-Team All-SEC honors. Previously, Prince was named to the Second-Team All-SEC his sophomore year.

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After a successful four-year collegiate career where Prince scored over 1,700 points, the Compton native entered the 2002 NBA Draft.

The Detroit Pistons selected the Kentucky guard with the 23rd pick of the first round. 

Prince would spend the bulk of his career in Detroit on a competitive Pistons squad, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season.

In Prince’s sophomore season, the Pistons advanced to the NBA Finals with the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers. As the Lakers boasted four future Hall of Famers.

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The 2004 NBA Finals is widely recognized as one of the most challenging and improbable underdog championships in sports history, and the Pistons defeated Los Angeles in six games.

Prince was the primary defender on Bryant throughout the series, even holding Bryant to 11 points in Game 3. The Kentucky product earned the first and only NBA Championship of his career, averaging 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game during the Finals.

Additionally, Prince won an Olympic gold medal representing America on the “Redeem Team” at the 2008 Beijing Games.

From 2005 to 2008, Prince was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

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After spending his first 12 seasons with the Pistons, Prince played for the Memphis Grizzlies and had brief stints with the Boston Celtics and the Pistons again until retiring as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Since 2017, Prince has been a member of the Memphis Grizzlies front office. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Basketball Affairs.

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Men's Basketball

Jaxson Robinson Lands Exhibit 10 Deal with Cleveland Cavaliers

With his exhibit 10 contract, Robinson officially rounds out Kentucky’s 2025 NBA class as the final one to find his place.

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Jaxson Robinson signs an exhibit 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
UK Athletics

After a lull in NBA news regarding freshly former Wildcats, Jaxson Robinson has rounded off last year’s class by officially landing an exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal is fixated on a non-guaranteed one year period during which Robinson will have a chance to secure a spot on the permanent roster.

Robinson, who was originally projected by many as a second round draft pick before he sustained an injury to his wrist late last season, is the final Cat to find his place in the league. First, two were drafted (Brea, Williams,) then the next two were signed (Butler, Carr,) leaving Robinson as the odd-man out for a short period of time while he worked to earn an opportunity.

When healthy, the fan-favorite forward averaged 13 points, four rebounds and two assists for the blue and white throughout the 2024-25 season, showing flashes of elite shooting and surprising defensive prowess. His lengthy, 6’6 frame is built for the next level – given a streak of good health and the opportunity to play, Robinson could prove just that.

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And now, with the Cavs, he’ll have his first shot. Cleveland, reeling from a second-round exit in the NBA Playoffs and having just lost arguably their most proficient bench scorer in Ty Jerome, will certainly be looking for scoring options for their second unit. With the summer league ahead and plenty of time to make a splash, Robinson, despite his somewhat delayed signing, is bound to see the court sooner rather than later.

Big Blue Nation will be behind #2 going forward, either way. Wherever Robinson ends up, it’ll be on his feet.

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Men's Basketball

How Reece Potter Can Contribute to Pope’s Offense

The 7-foot-1 Lexington native returns home with hopes of thriving in Mark Pope’s offense after transferring from Miami (Ohio).

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Chet White | UK Athletics

When Kentucky added Reece Potter in the later stages of the portal season, many within Big Blue Nation assumed the 7-foot-1 Lexington native would be a valuable practice player. Now, the plan appears to be for him to contribute meaningfully to Mark Pope’s squad this season.

A junior transfer from Miami (Ohio), Potter stands out as the tallest player on Kentucky’s roster this season. With his size, he’s an obvious fit at the five, especially on nights the Wildcats need extra length. But he believes he can be much more than that in Mark Pope’s system, similar to other Kentucky big men who have thrived in this offense.

“I feel like I shoot the ball at a high level and I’m able to pass. Those are the things (Pope) really liked,” Potter said Monday. “He was able to use Amari Williams and BG (Brandon Garrison) in more of a point center type of way.”

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Now at Kentucky, Potter believes that being surrounded by so much talent, he will surely flourish with the help of those around him.

“I got some great players in front of me that do a great job of it,” Potter said. “I’m gonna be able to learn from them and keep growing my game in practice every single day.”

In two seasons with the RedHawks, Potter averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per contest, shooting at a 45.4% clip from the field, 39.85% from deep. Potter made 11 starts during his freshman season in 2023-24, appearing in 30 games in 2024 off the bench for a Miami team that went 25-9 overall and 14-4 in conference play, reaching the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game.

In high school with Lexington Catholic, Potter made a name for himself, being named the 11th Region’s Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 17.9 points and 8.7 rebounds for the District 43 champs.

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